Comparison

BLACK NOTE Pad vs Scrawlight

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BLACK NOTE Pad

This app provides a comfortable writing experience in dark environments. It features a true dark interface, instant blackout capabilities, and a red mode to protect night vision. Ideal for nighttime note-taking without disturbing others or straining your eyes.

Highlights
  • True dark interface for OLED screens
  • Instant blackout screen functionality
  • Red mode for night vision preservation
  • Customizable text brightness
  • Automatic time-stamping for notes
  • Quick keyboard hiding
Features
Read full description

BLACK NOTE is the ultimate text editor meticulously designed for writing in completely dark environments. Whether you are stargazing, in a dark theater, journaling in bed without waking your partner, or simply want to protect your eyes at night, BLACK NOTE ensures that taking notes will never blind you or ruin your night vision. Key Features: • True Dark Interface: An absolute black background that utilizes OLED screens perfectly to minimize light emission. • Instant Blackout: Double-tap the top of the screen to instantly turn the screen pitch black. Tap once to bring it back and resume typing. • Red Mode (Night Vision Protect): Switch the text to red to preserve your dark adaptation and night vision—ideal for astronomy and stealthy use. • Customizable Brightness: Granular control over the text brightness independent of your device's global brightness setting. • Time-Stamped Notes: Pressing 'Enter' at the end of a line automatically inserts the current time, perfect for logbooks and observation records. • Quick Stealth: Tap the top or swipe down to instantly hide your keyboard. • Maximum Darkness Guide: Includes built-in tips and shortcuts for utilizing iOS "Reduce White Point" to make your entire device, including the keyboard, as dark as physically possible. Don't let bright screens interrupt your focus in the dark. Experience the most comfortable night-time writing with BLACK NOTE.

About

Scrawlight

Features
Read full description

A sign you can still write ten minutes before the encore. Scrawlight turns your handwriting into a glowing light board. Turn the phone sideways, write with a finger, watch the strokes light up, then let them scroll across the full screen. Switch on the mic and your words burst with the drums and breathe with the music. Write anything: a name, a happy birthday, "I've waited three years for this," or just "over here!" —— HOW IT WORKS —— 1. Turn the phone sideways and write. Go as long as you like — the canvas keeps growing to the right. 2. Pick a glow, a stroke weight, a backdrop. Five glows, from neon pink to electric cyan, plus a rainbow that flows along the stroke. 3. Raise it. Full-screen scrolling, three speeds, and the screen won't lock while you're showing it. —— IT MOVES WITH THE MUSIC —— Turn Wave on and the mic listens to the room: · Burst — the drums hit, the letters fly apart, then spring back home · Ripple — rings of light roll outward along the strokes · Breathe — the glow swells with the volume; easiest on the battery —— TWO PENS —— · Marker — a solid band of light, exactly as you wrote it · Neon — a hollow tube with a glowing edge; strokes straighten themselves like a real sign (Pro) —— YOUR WORDS STAY YOURS —— Scrawlight collects no data. No accounts, no ads, no third-party SDKs, no analytics. The microphone is used only while Wave is on, and only analyzed in memory, in real time — never recorded, never saved, never uploaded. Your boards sync through your own private iCloud database: that's Apple's service, the data is yours, and the developer cannot see it. Turn sync off in Settings and everything stays on this device. —— ABOUT PRO —— Scrawlight Pro is a one-time purchase. It unlocks the Neon pen and every Pro style added later. No subscription, no renewals. —— —— Requires iOS 18 or later. iPhone only for now; iPad support is on the way. Write it, raise it, let them see.

Screenshots

BLACK NOTE Pad4 screens
Scrawlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BLACK NOTE Pad at none against Scrawlight's 1. BLACK NOTE Pad also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Scrawlight sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BLACK NOTE Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BLACK NOTE Pad ships an update every 4 days, Scrawlight fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
BLACK NOTE Pad versus Scrawlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBLACK NOTE PadScrawlight
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSUGAR SOUND, K.K.博 李

In-app purchases

None

BLACK NOTE Pad

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Scrawlight

One-time1
  • Scrawlight Pro$2.99

Questions

Is BLACK NOTE Pad free?
BLACK NOTE Pad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scrawlight free?
Scrawlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BLACK NOTE Pad or Scrawlight have ads?
Neither BLACK NOTE Pad nor Scrawlight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BLACK NOTE Pad or Scrawlight?
BLACK NOTE Pad ships an update every 4 days, and Scrawlight fortnightly. Most recently, BLACK NOTE Pad was updated on October 31, 2026 and Scrawlight on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons